In July 1943 we were scheduled to leave Camp Cabanatuan. We were lined up in several columns alongside the fence (H. Montoya, p. 157). Every one of us was search thoroughly for passions such as pencils, mirrors or anything that could be used in an escape. The group of 500 was ready to leave Cabanatuan and head for Manila. We were all given a ball of steamed rice for lunch on the trip. It was 6 when we left and we arrived 12 hours in Manila (H. Montoya, p. 158). We walked 200 yards down the Peru ti a staircase the lead to a loading area. We were guided like cattle into a hatch ahead of us. We came to a 10 ft square hole on the metal deck. There was a twenty foot metal ladder dropping down into a dark bottom of a lower deck (H. Monyoya, p. 161). We were all loaded up and it was packed so tightly we could not sit and could barely stand. The had packed 500 men in an area more suitable for 100 or fewer (H. Montoya, p.163). It was much too crowded in this lowers deck and there was little room to move around, but what could we do about it? Control was out of our hands. At about midnight, the Japanese guards opened the hatch above us. Our next destination was japan, although we took some stops before. I was hoping this place would be better then Camp Cabanatuan. (H. Montoya, p.164-165) however, I was wrong. Intact It just might have been worse.
Works Cited
Montoya, Horacio H.. Rising sun over Bataan: memoirs of war. Charleston, SC: BookSurges] ;, 2008. Print.
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